My column from The Hill is below. It discusses the real possibility that a federal trial could be held for former President Donald Trump, just before or through the 2024 elections. This claim is increasingly doubtful, especially in light of statements from the Special Counsel and courts.
The column is:
“This trial will not yield to the election cycle.” Those words of U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan Last year, she made it clear that when setting up the schedule for her federal trial in Washington D.C., she would not take into consideration that Donald Trump is likely to be the Republican presidential nominee of 2024.
Most recently, in the federal prosecution in Florida, Special Counsel Jack Smith declared that he will not consider himself bound by the Justice Department’s longstanding policy of not bringing charges or holding trials of candidates close to an election.
With the Supreme Court reviewing the immunity question (and a decision not expected until June), a nightmare scenario is unfolding in which Trump could be tried not just before the general election, but actually through November’s election.
Chutkan has insisted that her refusal to consider Trump’s candidacy is simply denying…
